The expansion of the internet coupled with the multiplication of connected mobile electronic devices allows billions of people to use their mobile devices daily for learning, communicating, exchanging information and conducting financial transactions. While performing such activities, identity, personal information and sensitive data are often input into the device, stored on the device, and also sent through communication links and networks to service providers.
However, as the value and volume of sensitive information processed by mobile devices and online service providers has increased, so too have the efforts of malevolent parties to obtain sensitive information and exploit it for financial gain or other illicit purposes. Given that servers and mobile devices are accessible through the internet, often malevolent parties operate remotely from the systems they aim to compromise, thus reducing risks to themselves.
For example, they may perform cyber attacks on online systems and networking infrastructure, steal or otherwise compromise cryptographic keys, steal or guess passwords to individual's online and financial accounts, use email phishing and hijack their personal or financial accounts, perform unauthorized financial transactions, install malware on mobile devices or remote servers and networking equipment, etc. To mitigate these threats, mobile device makers and service providers typically implement various cyber-security measures to protect their online systems, coupled with basic authentication measures, such as using a personal identification code (PIC) or biometric ID to unlock a device and perform sensitive operations, as well as implementing anti-malware measures (both hardware and software) on the mobile device.
However, when malevolent parties succeed in gaining access to a user account, such as an email account or a social media account, or to a user device, the malevolent parties can compromise other linked accounts associated with the user, and may easily steal the identity of the user, defraud the user or use his account for spamming and defrauding other users.
Furthermore, considering the volume of financial information processed and exchanged daily via communication networks on mobile or other electronic devices and the potential for immediate financial gain for malevolent parties, gaining access to a user account by a malevolent party poses a threat to security.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,023 issued Nov. 10, 2015 to United Services Automobile Association (USAA) teaches methods and systems for behavioral profiling. In some embodiments, a method includes observing behavioral characteristics of user interactions during a current session with the user through one of a plurality of channels. Variations between the behavioral characteristics of the user interactions observed during the current session and a behavioral profile previously developed based on prior usage patterns of the user through the plurality of channels are identified, in real-time or near real-time. For the user to proceed in the session, a challenge level is implemented based on the variations between the behavioral characteristics and the behavioral profile.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0224777 by Rebelo et al. teaches that usage patterns of an authentic user of a mobile device are generated from data collected representing usage by the authentic user. These usage patterns may then be compared to monitored usage of the mobile device. If usage of the mobile device exceeds a threshold based on one or more of the usage patterns, access to data on the mobile device can be prevented.